Game apparatus



April. 1.1, 41933. H E RYAN 1,903,480

GAME APPARATUS Filed NOV. 9, 1929 L P 67/\ y \\.ZJ` .ZQ\3

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RST mmm BASE BASE I ,Y @NEB/15E Z 0R BUNT Fgegva Two-BASE THREE-BASE H1T H T Fol/@sms HIT jd@ m Home mm Patented pr. 11, 1933 UNITED STATESHERBERT E; RYAN, or' CLAYTON, Missoultr GAME APPARATUS Application med''November 9, 1929. seran No. 405,890.

This invention relates to game apparatus, and more particularly to agolf putting cup and the arrangement of such cups in the playr ing ofgames and their adaptation thereto.

It is especially adapted for practice in putl ting a golf ball.

As is well known, cups are at present use-d to line the puttingrholes ingolf courses or links, the cups being sunk into the sand or o groundbelow the level thereof. The present invention contemplates theprovision of a golf putting cup that will serveits purpose when placedon a flat playing surface, thereby obviating the necessity for formingholes in the ground or surface to receive the same,

and enabling the cup to be used indoors on the Hoor or carpet, as wellas outdoors and on concrete or other hard playing surfaces.

A further object of the invention is the provision of aV putting cupadaptedfor use in small spaces.

A further object is thevprovision of a portable putting cup embodyingobstacles or traps 'or the like, so that the latter need not beespeci-ally prepared in the sand an-d which can be carried away and setup elsewhere intact wherever desired, indoors as well as outdoors7thereby enabling a player to practice wherever convenient and in allkinds of weather to acquire skill in the art of putting.

A further object is the provision of means for indicating to a playerdivers characteristics of the m-otion of the ball, thereby aiding him tobecome proficient'by reason of the teaching of such indications.

`A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel gameinvolving the use of golf putting cups.

Other objects, advantages, and desirable features of the invention willappear in the course of the following description of an illustrativeembodiment of the spirit thereof.

In the -accompanying drawing forming Vpart of this specification, inwhich like numbers 4of reference denote like parts wherever theyv occur,p

Figure l is a plan view of a putting cup embodying the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is a fr-ont elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional viewtaken l on the line 3 3 in Figure1; and

Figure 4: is aV diagram v exhibiting an arrangement of such golfputting'vcups ona field to simulate a base ball diamond.z `Y

The Putting Cup may be cast or "otherwise formed of any suitablematerial preferably wear-resistant and weather-proof or incor-- rodlble,such, for instance, as an aluminum tauy ClCSCQIltshaped formation kinplan view, the substantially semi-circular recess 2 opening laterally orforwardly betweenl the horns or extremities 3 of the crescent 4, the

said recess 2being preferably of the same 5; diameter as 4that oftheregular golf cup, and

Vthe opening or mouth 5 of said recess being preferably substantiallyequalto, saidrdiameter. The vbottom 6 is such thatthe cup. rests Yfirmly and solidly onan even floor or playing surface,the marginal edge(ofthe bottom preferably lying in one plane so as: to engage a levelfloor at all points, andthe inner portions of the bottom face 6 beingand maintain the castingsubstantially uni' form inthickness'throughout.A The outer form'of a flange 9,V whose upper face10 inclines upwardly from the extremities 3 to ,j

marginal portion of the crescentrises in the the middle thereof.V VAminor recess orvgolfy hole 11 is formed in the upper face 12 of the cupbehind the major semi-circular recess 2, and preferably centrallyfwithrelation to the outer edgeflof the flange 9. The hole t. l 11 ispreferably substantially'equal in diameter to the golf ball. The upperface 12inclines radially in all directions from the edge 14 of thelaterally opening semi-circular ma. jorrecess 2 and extendsto thesteeper incline or bunker 15 that surrounds the hole or pit of, and tothe portions of the flange 9 intermediate the extremities 3fand theextremities ofthe prominencey 16,V Theedge 14 is preferably as thin asit is possible to cast it.:Y

casting.v The cupi 1 is preferably ofsubstanpreferably recessed as at' 8to reduce weight 7.725 Y The edge 17 of the golf hole 11 inclines fromkY at their rniddle points directly behind the .Y

golf hole 11, and slope down gradually therefrom in opposite directionstoward their eX-` tremities, the extremities of the bottom of the groove20, however, being higher than 15 the extremities of the top of theridge 16 to enable a ball to roll down the groove to the end thereof andthen over the extremity of the ridge 16 thereat and down the inclinedsurface 12 to the recess 2. If desired, the eX- 20 Agolf hole 11 and theremainder of the crescent being done in contrasting colors, "such, forinstance, as-black paint for the 'golf hole and* red paint for thesurrounding portion, thereby enabling the golf .hole to bejrnorereadily'distinguished in playing. Y

A plurality of cups made n accordance with this invention, usually nineor eighteen, as determined by the rules of the game, are distributed tosuitable points on the green vor lawn, or the floor or carpet in thehome, as desired, in lieu of the golf holes or the Vregulation golf cupsthat are sunkinto' the ground or sand on golf links in the well knownmanner. The cup of this invention is especially, useful in confined andlimited courses or indoors for simulating the game of golf'in miniatureor on a miniature scale las far as putting orlimited pitching may beholes, bunkers and traps of the cup being especially useful inconnection with a golf ball andk putter in practicing 'kputtingandaidingin the acquisition of Vskill in the art of putting a'golf ball.The bunker or incline 15 andthe hole11, and the trap groove 2O functionas means for `indicating divers Vcharacteristics kof the motion of' aball directed'to the cup. The point in the cup on which theball'lands'is, of course, indicative v'of the 'force with which thejballis pitched. ,'When a ball rolls up the incline 12 and bunker 15 andlands in the golf hole11, a straight or direction or forward roll isindicated, sincethe yball will ascend the bunker 'p15 and land in thehole 11 only when it rolls in a forward direction, that is in adirection that is clockwise as'viewedl in Figure 8. When the ballrotates counterclockwise, or has what is'V known as a lback spin, itwill either not ascend the incline or bunker 15, or else itwill hop overthe hole 11 and enter the trap groove 20 or pass over the flange 9 andalight 'behind the cup, depending upon es' the momentum of the bau. ifthe bau fails posed surfaces o-f the cup may be p-ainted, the iconsidered in the game, the various inclines,

to ascend the bunker 15, it will roll back down the inclined surface 12into the recess 2 and perhaps back to the player, a rolling back to theright indicating what is known as a slice in the pitching, and a returnroll to the left revealing a pull in pitching, while a return throughthe middle indicates a straight course inl pitching toward the golfrhole.4 A. straight course to the golf hole is,

pitching and putting as revealed by the said indications, the player isenabled to make compensation and correction therefor in successivetrials with greater accuracy than is possible without the use of a cupembodying the indicating conformations of the present invention.

The present invention, also, contemplates Y arranging the cups 1 on afield in positions to simulate a base ball diamond, as shown in Figureil, to play a game that is believedv to be novel, and original withrthepresent inventor. The other adjuncts are a golf ball and a golf putter;and the game may be played Vin miniature on the carpet in the home oronthe green or lawn, in twoV different ways: yThe player may place agolf ball the length of the head of the putter from one ofthe horns orpoints 3 of the crescent 4 of the home' plate cup 1 and then play orputt either for an infield hit, a two base hit, a three base hit or afour base hit, which is a home run, using on-e putt or stroke only ;s orhe may play or putt for first base and the other 'bases in succession,in which case he will have three strokes or putts to hole out, providingthat the stroke or putt is up to the cup 1 or strikes and bounces o theoutside of the cup. If the Yputt or stroke rolls over the cup or istrapped by the groove 20 and rolls down the Vincline and returns to theplayer, the player.

is automatically out.' The player is in if the ball lands in the golfhole 11, inclined surface 12, or the recess 2. To holeV out means toplay or putt the ball within the semi-circular recess 2, the anteriorlimit of which consists ofanv imaginary straight line connecting thetips or horns 3 of the crescent l, in one stroke, if the game is playedthe i'irst way, or in two eXtra strokes or a total of three, one foreach base,y if the game is played the second Way. If short of the holethe player is automatically out, following the well known golf maximthat a'ball is never up, never in. lf the ball is played or y puttedinto thesmall golf hole 11 in a con-I tinuous stroke or putt, thiscounts for an eXtra or stolen base. If, however, the player overshootsand goes into the trap 20 and is trapped and rolls out or goes over, theplayer is out. The small golf hole successfully played in one strokefrom the preceding cup counts for a stolen base and the player advancestwo bases instead of one, if the game is played the second way. Thisdoes not, however, apply if the player elects to play the rst way. Thegame can be played by one person, by two persons (a twosome), by threepersons (a threesome), by four persons (a foursome), or by sides of nineplayers each as in baseball, following the usual rules and usages ofgolf and baseball as far as they are applicable to the use of the cups1.

It will be understood and appreciated that the use of the term cup inthe specification and claims is intended to be broad and comprehensive,and to include devices of any shape, whether of strictly true cup formor not, that serve the purpose of a golf cup.

Having thus fully described this invention, I hereby reserve the benetof all changes in form, arrangement, order or use of parts, as it isevident that many minor changes may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A portable golf putting cup having a substantially crescent-shapedupper face that inclines from the edge of the recess formed between theextremities of the crescent, said face having, a golf hole defined by aninclosing circular ridge behind said recess, and an upwardly presentedflange that is co-extensive with the outer margin of said upper face,the extremities of the crescent being equidistant from a line passingthrough the center of the golf hole.

2. A portable golf putting cup having a substantially crescent-shapedupper face that inclines from the edge of the recess formed between theextremities of the crescent, said face having a golf hole defined by aninclosing circular ridge behind said recess, a crescent-shaped bunkerhaving its medial portion tangent to the rear portion of said rid-ge,and a flange rising from, and co-extensive with, the margin of the saidface, said bunker and flange defining a groove declining in oppositedirections from a medial point behind y 4. A golf putting cup having agolf hole, a

concentric circular ridge inclosing said hole and rising higher at therear of the hole and third ridges being spaced to define a groove, thebottom of saidgroove declining toward the right and left, and armsextending'anteriorly of the hole at opposite sides of the cup andequidistant from a center line of the hole.

6. A golf putting cup having a golf hole, a

concentric circular ridge surrounding said hole, a second ridgeextending behind the hole tangent to the first mentioned ridge, thesecond ridge being higher at its point of tangency than the fore part ofthe first-` mentioned ridge, a third rid-ge behind the second ridge andhigher than the latter, said second and third ridges being spaced todefine a groove, the bottom of said groove declining toward the rightand left, and arms extending anteriorly of the holeat opposite sidesofthe cup and equidistant from a center line of the hole.

7 A portable golf putting cup having a substantially crescent-shapedupper face that inclines from the edge of the recess formed between theextremities of the crescent, the said face having a golf hole defined byan inclosin-g circular ridge behind the said recess, the extremities ofthe crescent being equidistant from a line center of the golf' hole.

8. A portable golf putting cup having an upper face that presents acircular Vridge passing through the forming the edge of a golf hole, andarms' extending anteriorly of the hole at oppositeV` sides of the cupand equidistant Vfrom a medial line radiating from the center of thegolf hole.

. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

HERBERT RYAN.

